Hidatei Hanaougi
飛騨亭 花扇
Does Hidatei Hanaougi allow tattoos? In a private bath
Hidatei Hanaougi draws its own spring from 1,200 meters down, a sodium bicarbonate water the inn likens to a thick beauty serum, and pipes it to a private open-air bath and to the open-air tubs of most of its rooms.
Hanaougi publishes no tattoo rule. It has one private open-air bath, booked at the front desk on the day for ¥3,300 per 50 minutes, and ten of its twelve room types come with their own open-air tub. The inn says the private bath and the room open-air tubs are filled from its own spring.
The bath
The water is a sodium bicarbonate spring, neutral and low in temperature at the source, which the inn heats and circulates through filters. The inn says the water feels almost slimy to the touch and leaves skin smooth. It lists the spring for nerve, muscle and joint pain, stiff shoulders, bruises, sprains, poor circulation and fatigue.
The room tubs are the main draw. They stand on a veranda or in a small garden, some with deck chairs beside them, and the Hana rooms have tubs big enough for two. Five twin rooms, Homei, Kinkoh, Hoju, Jimma and Shakkyo, add a shower booth next to the tub; in the other rooms you wash in the room's indoor cypress bath, since the open-air tubs have no taps. Kinkoh was rebuilt in April 2023 with a garden and a massage chair.
The single private open-air bath is shared out among parties in 50-minute turns between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. The large bath has a wide indoor tub and a rock open-air bath facing a Japanese garden, and the two sides swap between evening and morning. Bathing hours are 3 p.m. to midnight and 5 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., with a sauna that runs until 9 p.m. A foot bath looks onto the courtyard on the first floor.
The hotel
The inn is built around old timber: zelkova that it says lay buried for thousands of years lines the public rooms, and the guest rooms use old cedar. One attendant looks after each party from arrival to departure. Dinner and breakfast are served in private dining rooms the inn calls Sanmachi-koji, with Hida beef as steak, shabu-shabu or sukiyaki. A late-night counter sells Takayama ramen from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. All rooms are non-smoking, and the door is locked at midnight. Parking for about 40 cars is free.
Good to know
- Ask at the front desk on arrival for the private open-air bath; it cannot be booked before the day.
- Robes come with the open-air rooms. Every room also has yukata (a light cotton robe) and a samue (a loose cotton lounge set) work suit.
- Book the free station shuttle by the day before; it leaves the west exit every 30 minutes from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Morning buses run back to town, every 40 minutes from 7:50 a.m. to 11:10 a.m., to the station and on to the morning market.
Getting there
From Nagoya Station the JR Hida limited express takes about 2 hours 10 minutes to Takayama Station, by the inn's count. The inn's free shuttle bus leaves the Hakusan (west) exit every 30 minutes from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and takes about 8 minutes; reserve a seat by the day before, and change it up to 30 minutes ahead. A taxi takes about 10 minutes. On foot it is 2.3 km, about 30 minutes.
Takayama STN · JR Takayama Main Line
About 30 minutes (2.3 km), by the inn's count.
Free shuttle from the west exit, 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., reserved ahead; taxi about 10 minutes.
Where it is
Takayama STN
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass ¥19,800 · 5 consecutive days Worth it if Gero, Shirakawa-go or Kanazawa is on the same trip.
- Japan Rail Pass from ¥53,000 · 7, 14 or 21 days For a trip that takes in several regions by Shinkansen and JR lines.
What happens when you arrive
Use the bath in your room, or reserve a private bath at the front desk.
How we know
Bath layout confirmed, tattoo policy not published Checked on the official site (: the hot spring page and the bathing FAQ describe the private open-air bath and the spring-fed room tubs)
Best for: a room with its own open-air tub of slippery bicarbonate spring water, with dinner served in a private dining room
The private open-air bath is used from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., is booked on the day only at the front desk, and costs ¥3,300 for one party for 50 minutes. It has no washing area or shower. Room types with an open-air spring tub are Homei, Kinkoh, Hoju, Jimma, Shakkyo, Nishiki, Takumi, Hijiri, Hana and Hana Twin; Nagomi and Ichii have none. The room tubs are stone, ceramic or cypress depending on the room, and a particular tub cannot be requested. The indoor bath in every room is plain water, not spring water. No day-use bathing.
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